Hey guys, I created the Daedric Armor thats in this post: http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/213xsi/incredible_homemade_daedric_armor/ . I've been getting a lot of requests for an AMA, so here we go. Ask me if you have any questions.

Here is a a link to my build thread, go here first for some step by step progress photos: http://www.therpf.com/f24/skyrim-daedric-armor-foam-build-complete-pic-heavy-189757/

Comments: 754 • Responses: 64  • Date: 

Steve_Wiener984 karma

How did you acquire all the necessary daedra hearts?

bmzhen166 karma

Killing all of the necessary daedra :)

Hobzy252 karma

How much did it cost you and how long did it take to build?

bmzhen1355 karma

I estimate somewhere around $400 in materials and about 5 month of work on nights and weekends.

wfza1153 karma

What enchantments do you have on it? But seriously, looks amazing, planning to create and sell by request?

bmzhen1632 karma

According to some comments, +100 virginity apparently :)

I don't currently have any plans to create and sell more of these. This armor would only fit someone of my height/weight so not many would want to buy it, plus it looks great on display at my house :). And it took too long to build to make any more of them on request. I want my next big project to be something different. This is just a hobby/fun thing I do on the side.

DatBokehDoe106 karma

Are you interested in coming to a day of filming for my Elder Scrolls short film on April 27th in Orlando? :)

bmzhen113 karma

Not sure what my availability is like that weekend :(

eiendots85 karma

Wow, that looks amazing!... but will it blend?

bmzhen157 karma

Thanks! And yes it will....into a delicious smoothie of foam/glue/sweat goodness.

millancho48 karma

How much time did you spend playing Skyrim and why did you liked it

bmzhen184 karma

I actually got into Skyrim when I saw screenshots of that armor online and thought it would be awesome to build. I think I have something like 150 hours spent playing skyrim, which I know isn't much compared to some. Funny thing is I don't even have that armor in the game :) I would if I didn't spend all that time building it for real.

Cacklion166 karma

Only 150 hours..try 150 days fucking casuals

bmzhen1114 karma

nice! back in my MMO days, I think I had something like 400 days in EQ

Doug10147 karma

a few questions

Have you done any other armor work

What is the suit made out of

what tools did you need to make it

bmzhen179 karma

This was my first time working with foam armor. I've worked with fiberglass in the past (ironman armor) but nothing to this level before.

Like I said this suit is made primarily of EVA foam (floor mat foam), the leather parts are faux alligator leather.

The tools were pretty basic, hot glue gun, scissors, box cutter, X-actor knives, rulers, paintbrushes, heat gun.

I used Pepakura software to print out all the individual pieces of the 3d armor onto card stock paper. Then I cut the pieces out of paper, trace them onto foam, cut those out as well and then glue them together to match the model. The foam is then sealed (I used Mod Podge), painted (acrylic paint), weathered, and varnished.

Check out the build thread link in my first post to see more details of the actual built process.

downvotethiscontent44 karma

[deleted]

bmzhen191 karma

Aela the Huntress

FunkeFunk39 karma

You were the one from Megacon?

bmzhen139 karma

Yep, that was me!

RagingOrangutan30 karma

Did it take you longer to get the Daedric Armor in game or in real life?

bmzhen159 karma

Haha, I spent so much time making it for real, I don't even have it in game yet :)

sporadicspazz30 karma

That's some awesome stuff right there

bmzhen121 karma

Thank you!

purpleglory27 karma

How many silver rings did you have to forge in order to level up in your Smithing?

bmzhen155 karma

I'm a Daedric prince so the armor came for free! :)

tehyosh24 karma

How hard is it to work with foam for stuff like this? Is a special type of foam needed? how do you go about getting the right size for the armor pieces?

bmzhen130 karma

Foam was really easy to work with, you can cut/sand/glue it with no trouble at all. I used regular EVA foam of different thicknesses (3mm, 8mm, 1/2inch). I used Pepakura software to scale the armor to the right size prior to making all the pieces.

rskor23 karma

Did you actually skip leg day?

bmzhen118 karma

I never skip leg day! :)

TNTgoesBOOM9618 karma

Through out the process, did you ever reach a point that you wanted rage quit and throw out the whole project? If so, when and how many times.

bmzhen123 karma

I was definitely starting to get burned out towards the end (maybe 3 month in), but at that point I had to finish it!

I got lucky with my sizing of the pieces, If I spent like a week working on that helmet and it turned out too big/small I would have probably rage quit right there.

I_smell_awesome16 karma

What's your favorite kind of soup?

bmzhen115 karma

lately it has been lentil soup!

hi_imryan13 karma

no questions, just wanted to say that's one of the best cosplays i've ever seen.

bmzhen17 karma

Thank you!

Joeyfield12 karma

What got you into building Daedric Armor, and are you going to do anything similar in the future.

bmzhen117 karma

I was looking for a really unique armor to make and found screenshots/concept art of the Daedric Armor which I thought looked amazing. So that armor is actually what got me into playing Skyrim.

Steve_Wiener9 karma

Do dwemer next.

bmzhen110 karma

I think my next project is going in a different direction. :)

cunt_delicatessen9 karma

I saw you at Megacon too on Saturday. I got a couple pictures myself haha. Just wanted to applaud you on your attention to detail!

bmzhen16 karma

Thank you! It took a long time to make, but was worth it in the end

simpledave8 karma

Is that all EVA foam, or are some parts pep/fiberglass/bondo?

Great work, btw. As a 405th/RPF lurker, I am very impressed.

bmzhen18 karma

Its all EVA foam. I did use pep files to make it though and transfered to foam.

GearsPoweredFool8 karma

This is Awesome! I got a picture of you Friday at megacon! I didn't really get to go to alot of panels/shows due to how crazy things were. Did you enter in the Costume contest? And did you win?

bmzhen16 karma

I did enter the costume contest, but I did not win :( Although the judges did say they liked mine alot

Kamikazikangar008 karma

i plan one day to make myself some dead space 2 riot armor, ant tips?

bmzhen111 karma

I'm playing Dead Space 2 right now! I suggest checking out http://www.therpf.com/ forum, they are my favorite resource for armor building. There are a couple of excellent dead space armors on there.

DontworryJenkins6 karma

I thought this was a joke, I thought this meant that you finally crafted the armor in the game and you wanted to do an AMA about it lol

bmzhen13 karma

Haha, I probably should have worded it better :)

Shadowclaimer5 karma

Just wanted to say my brothers and I have worked with EVA foam for awhile on various other projects, and now we're totally wanting to make armor sets using the files you linked for Gencon this year.

Glass is really appealing but damn that'll be a bitch to paint.

Question: How did you go about painting and any tips/suggestions for more metallic looking paint? Would you recommend a dremel for detailing work as well?

bmzhen17 karma

I know some people use a dremel, but when I tried it it didn't work too well with the foam I had, It would work better on more denser foam. I did use sandpaper to sand some things down.

For the metallic paint job, I used acrylic paint. Started with black base, then used gunmetal metallic paint over that, then I added the weathering effect by painting watered down black paint over the metallic , letting it dry slightly and then rubbing it off with a moist paper towel. This creates a worn weathered effect!

BeardedDragon645 karma

What is your favorite quest-line and why?

bmzhen117 karma

The Dark Brotherhood quest line was really cool. Also any of the quests where you deal with the different daedra

sortieme5 karma

I am pretty sure I saw you at Megacon yesterday. The costume was amazing in person.

bmzhen15 karma

If you saw it at megacon, then it was me! :)

JK4644 karma

Why you no build dragonplate? ????

bmzhen13 karma

It was either this or dragonplate, I liked the asymmetry of the Daedric armor.

Jedibob74 karma

I totally saw you at megacon! I was titan eren

bmzhen13 karma

Awesome!

kimberlion3 karma

You should start making other types of armor now, such as Glass or Dragon Bone.

bmzhen13 karma

I think my next armor will be something more modern

WhyghtChaulk3 karma

How did you get started in making cosplay outfits? Have you always been artistic/crafty or did you learn all the skills just through creating various outfits?

bmzhen14 karma

I learned everything by trial and error and doing a ton of research online prior to starting. This was actually my first full armor project. I've always been into art and crafts though!

butterypanda3 karma

What's the process of putting it on and taking it off like?

bmzhen16 karma

The boots go on first, then the leg plates with attachments around my legs and up to a belt (supported by suspenders). I then put on the leather front and back pieces which cover up the belt supporting the leg plates. I then put on the breastplate, which opens on the sides under the arms. After that I put on the bracers/gloves and finally the helmet. I usually need another person to help me with the clasps under the arms and bracers.

rpi_cynic3 karma

[deleted]

bmzhen13 karma

No, unfortunately I won't be there this year :(

link222583 karma

I hope to start making my own N7 Armor(Mass Effect) sometime soon. I'm almost to afraid to start it in fear of messing it up. Any particular advice? Here's a good example.

bmzhen13 karma

I say go for it! Try making a smaller piece first, maybe the helmet! There are a ton of resources online for the N7 armor, check out the RPF forum for many build threads

MMONerdStomper3 karma

I have nothing to ask just wanted to say that you did an excellent job!

bmzhen14 karma

thank you!

caecilia3 karma

OMG it's so sexy

bmzhen13 karma

thank you! :)

ryanhadaway3 karma

How much money did it cost and how long did it take?

bmzhen13 karma

Approximately $400 for all the materials, and 5 month

PadrePedro6663 karma

Where did you learn to forge?

bmzhen16 karma

Whiterun

jwalts3 karma

obligatory never getting laid comment

bmzhen13 karma

You're a little late

Zigzagzave2 karma

Why are you doing an AMA..?

bmzhen12 karma

Cause I was told I should make one.

theflintseeker1 karma

An obvious one: have you taken an arrow to that unprotected knee, and did it cause you to no longer be an adventurer, but instead a guard?

bmzhen11 karma

Yes sir, I have taken a number of arrows to both knees.

thebart1 karma

Do you like cats?

bmzhen12 karma

I like cats, but prefer dogs.

zjbird1 karma

You're not that same guy who made that awesome iron man outfit but then scammed people into buying low quality versions of it are you? I hear he's a douche.

bmzhen12 karma

nope, I'm not selling anything

catdogs_boner1 karma

How fragile is it?

bmzhen12 karma

the armor itself is pretty strong, any damage would be cracks in the paint job not the structure of the armor itself. It definitely requires some minor repairs/touch-ups after wearing it all day.

Netwinn1 karma

How long did it take you to build, from start to finish?

bmzhen11 karma

Total about 5 month, on nights and weekends

Afferent_Input1 karma

How sturdy is it? I could imagine that with foam that one bad bump into some dumb-ass oversize Pikachu would do in one of those horns...

bmzhen12 karma

The layers of hot glue, eva sealer, acrylic paint, and varnish create some level of protection but there is definitely some wear to it. I usually have to make repairs after wearing the armor. Foam is not the most durable material to work with. I hear people use foam resins (like Smooth-On Epsilon Foam Coating) over foam to protect it. I will need to try that on future projects, or switch to materials like worbla

oldmanpooslice1 karma

Where do your farts go?

bmzhen13 karma

everywhere!!! with strategic accuracy

1Leonard1 karma

How large is your basement?

bmzhen116 karma

not many basements in Florida :(

AlexGianakakis1 karma

What is the armour made out of, and how heavy is it? I can't imagine it would be very light.

bmzhen12 karma

It's actually fairly light because it is made out of EVA foam.

DrPenguinMD0 karma

How long did it take to reach Lv. 90 smithing?

bmzhen11 karma

I still haven't in the game, too busy doing it in real life :)

GoodeguySam-7 karma

Have you seen a vagina

bmzhen18 karma

Yes, sir!

Proxystarkilla-9 karma

Is this really AMA material?

bmzhen121 karma

I think so.